Decline and transformation : cultural reconstruction in a small New Zealand community

In 1913, New Zealand's three main exports (in descending order of importance) were wool, meat, and dairy products. In 1983 the same three products dominated exports though dairy had overtaken wool and meat. This consistent economic performance was facilitated by government intervention on behalf of farming; refrigeration technology which allowed New Zealand to function as Britain's farm; and a 19th century legacy of land purchased cheaply or confiscated from the indigenous Maori. From the 1970s onwards, however, these factors sustaining primary production were progressively removed. Britain chose an association with the EC over the perpetuation of its colonial relationships; a reforming government abolished subsidies and tariff protection; and with a quarter of New Zealand's total land area already devoted to raising sheep, the supply of cheap accessible farmland diminished. For rural economies dependent on the production of sheep meat and wool, these changed conditions provoked a sharp decline. In the case under study, however, this decline has been modified for one section of the community at least through the resurgence of cultural energies.